Want to be an employer brand of repute and upstanding?

And so if Sepp Blatter knew nothing, then he must be FIFA's most inept President. And if he did know, then he must be its most corrupt. Either way, his head must roll.

Well finally, the US and Swiss authorities have had the evidence and the ‘balls’ to challenge the long held view that FIFA is rank with corruption.

The FIFA brand is under the spotlight for its lack of transparency and governance. Qatar’s bid – run by the now discredited Mohamed Bin Hammam and the aggregate damage committed by its FIFA untouchables – rivals the corruption of Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, and then some.

Today, the FIFA brand regrettably is bereft of any real credibility.

The stench from FIFA’s corruption, poor governance, lack of credibility, conflicted values, and lack of transparency has run as a constant and insidious undertow through most of their activities.

There is a lot going on at FIFA that goes to the heart of what a brand with credibility should not do.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility if teams like England, France, Italy, Germany, and other power houses move to form another competition. If that did happen, then the FIFA brand value would go to dust overnight.

Want to be an employer brand of repute and upstanding?

Then do the opposite of how FIFA currently operates.

Do have:

Ethical and principled leadership;

Governance and accountability to all stakeholders;

Transparency of systems;

Checks and balances throughout;

Strong, ethical sets of values – understood and lived by all from the top down and the bottom up;

Delivery of a product that has 100% credibility;

A well-defined purpose that underpins everything you do;

A taint-free product that when delivered, is unquestioned;

Staff that are empowered to make their own decisions;

Feedback mechanisms to allow circuit breakers when values and purpose are compromised.

Accountability for those decisions that are understood by all – when placed under scrutiny.

When you have these foundations in place as an employer, then everyone knows what’s expected – and it’s exciting to be part of.